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Important to create discussion about poverty

Christian Stockley, 1, visited the Thamesville Corn Maize with his grandmother Lynn Stockley on Sunday to participate in the kick-off to Poverty Awareness week. The event features activities which aim to help the community start a dialogue and come together to form solutions to reduce poverty.
Sarah Schofield, cdn.newsroom@sunmedia.ca

Busloads of people travelled to the Thamesville Corn Maize to kick off Poverty Awareness Week and to learn more about how they could help.

"It's important for everyone to see that we are in this together," said Prosperity Roundtable co-ordinator Danielle R. Shaw, who organized the event.

The program, which is committed to helping the community rethink poverty and create change created the group, which continues throughout the week.

Shaw said many Canadians are not aware poverty exists in their country.

"We're trying to broad the understanding," said Shaw.

It's an exciting time for the program, which received funding through the Ontario Trillium Foundation last summer to hire Shaw.

Each person who entered the 11-acre corn maize received a poverty awareness passport. It helped them navigate through the correct path if they chose the right answer to a question posted at the information stakes.

Examples were, 'What was the unemployment rate as of May 2012 for Chatham-Kent?' and 'How many food banks do we have in Chatham?'

The poverty-reducing program received support for the event from The United Way, Delhaven Orchards which provided apples and Chatham-Kent Community Healthcare Centres which handed out bottles of water.

Prosperity Roundtable has four working pillars in its fight to reduce poverty: public awareness and education, advocacy, social inclusion and food security.

Shaw said poverty is a complex issue needing a complex solution.

"It's about creating a sense of community and a sense of belonging," said Shaw.

"It's not just about income, although income is a very important part, but about being able to participate in the community."

There is a significant difference between the definition of poverty today and years ago, said Shaw.

While food, shelter and water are considered the basic needs in order to feel included into a community, citizens require much more.

"Nowadays you need transportation to be included and the Internet to be informed and educated," Shaw said.

Ingrid Dieleman, who owns the corn maize with her husband Ken, said knowledge of any subject is the key to change.

"It's about being part of a community and learning what is going on in that community," said Dieleman.

"It is important for people to become aware," Dieleman added.

By increasing awareness at the corn maize, Shaw hopes it will start a dialogue.

"Hopefully they can find something out they didn't know before," said Shaw.

"The more diversity we have, the more ideas people will bring to the table."